Joining the dots to stop boat theft rotBy Mark Rothfield, Newcastle ,
1:12 PM Thu 11 Jul 2013
In the good ol’ days, marine thieves faced a choice of keelhauling, a flogging or running the gauntlet through two lines of angry men armed with knotted ropes. The lucky ones were tied to the rigging and left to the weather’s mercy. ...[more]

When spoiled for choice... the choice gets spoiledBy Mark Rothfield, Newcastle ,
12:41 AM Wed 3 Jul 2013
With dresses and stockings strewn across the room, my wife finally clutched her head and cried, ‘AAARGH! What am I going to wear?!?' – to which I replied, ‘I’ll tell you in an hour’ … before ducking a flying shoe. ...[more]

Is Australian boat manufacturing car-eening for fallBy Mark Rothfield, Newcastle ,
8:44 PM Tue 25 Jun 2013
How do you start a small business? These days, you buy a big Australian manufacturing firm and simply wait for a while …In recent weeks the car world has been floored by news that Ford plans to close its manufacturing plants while General Motors is aiming to cut workers’ wages to avoid or delay, an inevitable head-on crash. ...[more]

Is Australian boat manufacturing car-eening for fallBy Mark Rothfield, Newcastle ,
5:59 AM Sat 22 Jun 2013
How do you start a small business? These days, you buy a big Australian manufacturing firm and simply wait for a while …In recent weeks the car world has been floored by news that Ford plans to close its manufacturing plants while General Motors is aiming to cut workers’ wages to avoid or delay, an inevitable head-on crash. ...[more]

Safety message lostBy Mark Rothfield, Newcastle ,
5:47 AM Wed 8 May 2013
A newspaper snippet once talked about an Icelandic trawler skipper who was so sozzled on schnapps that he crashed into a couple’s anchored yacht, causing major damage. ...[more]

Life is Now ... as the dementia may get yaBy Mark Rothfield, Newcastle ,
11:04 PM Thu 14 Mar 2013
There’s a caravan down the street with signwriting on the back proclaiming ‘Adventure before dementia’. Another, a few houses further along, boasts ‘Recycled Teenagers’. ...[more]

Toughing it out in a marine-o-sexual worldBy Mark Rothfield, Newcastle ,
5:18 PM Thu 21 Feb 2013
They’re hardly the sort of vehicle favoured by yummy mummies for school pick-up and touch parking outside supermarkets, but if you happen to be a red-blooded fisho there’s much to like about the new 4x4 alloy range from Origin. ...[more]

Hold the phone Russell ... America’s finally listeningBy Mark Rothfield, Newcastle ,
10:40 AM Tue 12 Feb 2013
There’s a theory – yet to be proved – that wind is caused by trees waving their branches, and in the case of my dopey golden retriever its tails really can wag the dog whenever it’s walkies.
Now, a US boat manufacturer is actually listening to its Australian importer when designing a new model. ...[more]

Hold the phone Russell ... America’s finally listeningBy Mark Rothfield, Newcastle ,
7:01 AM Mon 4 Feb 2013
There’s a theory – yet to be proved – that wind is caused by trees waving their branches, and in the case of my dopey golden retriever its tails really can wag the dog whenever it’s walkies.
Now, a US boat manufacturer is actually listening to its Australian importer when designing a new model. ...[more]

Where there's good will there's a way to help another boatieBy Mark Rothfield,
5:43 PM Tue 18 Dec 2012
We’re not the nicest of species when you think about it. There are far too many lawyers, tax officers, parking cops, dodgy car salesmen and Collingwood supporters out there … not to mention your garden variety burglars, murderers and terrorists. The majority of us will drive past a stricken motorist or hapless hitchhiker. We will step over a drunk lying ragged in the gutter. ...[more]

Seeing is not believing - you need all your senses when buying a boatBy Mark Rothfield, ,
8:18 PM Tue 27 Nov 2012
In moments of quiet reflection, I sometimes try to picture life through the eyes of a blind person. It would be dark, drab, frightening and bewildering, I imagine, but also rich in sound, smell, taste and touch. Ironically, this could infuse the decision-making process with greater clarity, for the rest of us have our judgment clouded at times by using our eyes too much. ...[more]

Nothing beats Aussie ingenuity in the race for speedBy Mark Rothfield, ,
12:55 AM Thu 22 Nov 2012
Some 34 years after the iconic, laconic Ken Warby set a world water speed record of 317.60 miles per hour (511.13 kmh) aboard his jet-powered Spirit of Australia – a record that still stands – England-based Aussie Paul Larsen has just reeled off a 59.23-knot blast in machine called the Vestas Sailrocket. ...[more]

Lake home owners disturb ski racing funBy Mark Rothfield, Newcastle ,
4:47 AM Fri 26 Oct 2012
When does an editorial become an idiot-orial? When you wake on the Monday morning after a sensational waterski event to see a headline in the local rag: 'Lake racers disturb Sunday peace'. For those among you who think water-ski race boats are too loud, let me suggest you leave now for www.basketweaving.com because I’m about to be a little disparaging. ...[more]

The lifejacket message must be heard loud and clearBy Mark Rothfield, Newcastle ,
8:02 AM Tue 18 Sep 2012
When it comes to nagging, my mother-in-law is a rank amateur compared to the maritime-in-law – the boating authorities who bombard us with safety messages. ...[more]

Unsafe vessel provisions set a dangerous precedentBy Mark Rothfield,
1:16 PM Thu 5 Jul 2012
My opinion of hoons in hotted-up cars can best be defined by those speeding adverts showing unimpressed girls waggling their little fingers. I will, however, defend their right to own those ridiculous vehicles for there’s far worse things they could be doing to get their kicks. Like drugs. ...[more]